Star Wars Figure of the Day: Day 3,124: Saw Gerrera (The Black Series)

SAW GERRERA Really, Really Cheap Now
The Black Series 2020 Window Box Line Look Rogue One Packaging
Item No.: No. F4065
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Number: #10 - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Includes: Blaster, cane
Action Feature: Breathing mask, working holster
Retail: $33.99
Availability: October 2022
Appearances: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Bio: Gererra is bunkered on the ancient world of Jedha, coordinating a prolonged insurgency against the Imperial occupations, his ailing health does little to wither his resolve to fight. (Taken from the box packaging.)

Image: Adam's photo lab.

Availability: Click here to buy it at Entertainment Earth now!

Click here to buy it at Amazon now!

Click here to buy it at eBay now!

Commentary: Nobody cared about this Saw Gerrera figure. I've seen them at or below $3 - for a deluxe The Black Series figure. Mine sat at the floor of my desk since it arrived in 2022, I just never felt a need to crack the box open - heck, I'm only opening it now in 2024 because it's arguably the most interesting figure within reach. It's kind of amazing to take a step back on the last few years and see that nearly every deluxe price point figure hit a wall - fans said "nope!" and Hasbro made them in quantities big enough that distribution was, for once, not a problem. This figure was also released after what I would believe to be the peak in COVID toy hoarding, which seemed to be over by the end of Summer 2022. The excess builds of that era are still being felt at big box stores and deep discounters, with stuff that amazingly has still not sold. This has nothing to do with the quality of the product - there are a limited number of collectors (or "fans" as the biz keeps calling them, which I think means the eye is off the ball) because there aren't a lot of people clamoring for a figure from a then-six-year-old movie. And it's a nice figure.

At $33.99, fans have high expectations. Hasbro came close to meeting them! The figure doesn't have that much more going on in the way of parts and pieces, but there are straps, a breathing mask with tube, a working holster, a plastic cape, and a ot of paint. But it looks like "deluxe" now means "slightly beefy," "popular enough to break out of the assortment," or "this one probably costs a smidgen more to make than a typical bottom-of-the-budget figure." As of this figure's release, its price means it was a whopping nine dollars higher than a then-typical $25 base 6-inch figure. It's better than a typical figure, but that's a lot of money for things like his many colors of teal on his armor, his awesome retro silver rings on his arms, and a very nicely decorated and sculpted Forest Whitaker head. The little ridges on every strap, the tiny wrinkles and scars on the eyes, the vents and creases in the outfit, someone put their heart and soul into making sure that the sculpt was good, and also that the tooling in China represented that level of detail in the final product.

The paint masks, not so much - but the sculpting is incredible. The head has subtle scarring and really nice hair, proving the persons behind the figure ensured that there was a strong design for Hasbro to work with. The problem is that we didn't get $9 worth of paint on this guy. It's impossible to look at the sculpt and not be awed by the level of detail on his armor, with a robot foot, a sandal with exposed fleshy foot, a nicely sculpted cape, hoses, a mask with clear plastic, and a lot of nicely integrated articulation. If we were leaked an unpainted test shot I'm sure we'd all have just gone "Wow, this is going to be amazing!" plus or minus a level of indifference for Rogue One at the time of its release. Sure, Andor was getting a lot of praise but it did little to elevate the character or the movie on which it was based. As a group, we have no attention span, so fans just ignored this one and you didn't hear a lot of complaints about the lack of white or gray in his hair or beard, or the many unpainted buttons on his gauntlet or the greeblies on the canister on his belt. It's amazingly robust looking armor, round and seemingly like something that could survive quite the blast - but the light-up elements from the movie weren't painted. There are no little green lights or other details that would have brought this figure to life. It looks like an action figure - and it is an action figure! But there has definitely been an expectation for this 6-inch line to be Hasbro's best of the best, and as time went on we saw little details shaved off and the result being perfectly nice if you're not super picky.

Given the reduced price of all the 2021 fifth anniversary Rogue One figures and the Andor figures from 2022, Hasbro probably made the right move to not spend every last penny on deco here. Fans didn't come out for him in a big way (and may have just made too many) which means that you can get this figure with real presence for your shelves for less than what a fast food combo meal costs. Customizers will see a lot of details they can upgrade if they're so inclined, and people like me who are untalented hacks can just squint at this and go "hey, they missed a spot!" At a smaller size, this level of detail would be fantastic and at the current lower price, I don't think fans would be in any position to complain about having an amazing actor in a really creative costume. 

Collector's Notes: I got mine from Entertainment Earth.

--Adam Pawlus

Day 3,1243: April 11, 2024